I always wanted to be a Police Officer which I think was disappointment to Dad who was a joiner to trade. My grandfather was a bricklayer for all of his working life and I decided quite early on that I did not want to spend my life surviving 'on the tools'. As I left school, with few low level qualifications, the work in town I was brought up in was collapsing, 4 major employers shut their factories and local economy all but collasped.
On the advice of a Police Inspector who rightly told me I was far to young to be a Police Officer at 17 I joined the RAF initialy for 3 years to gain some life experience and discovered I loved it. Left after 29 years. No rose tinted glasses, there where bad times as well as good.
Whilst serving I got myself a proper education to prove to myself that I could and stick up a symbolic salute up to those teachers who told me constantly I was think, stupid and lazy. Now work in an independent school providing IT engineering support and practical advice and guidance to both staff and students. Interesting job, nice people, lovely environment but lacks the excitement of my previous life. Do I regret not becoming a Police Office not one bit.